A collection of early childhood
activities that enhance letter recognition and vocabulary. Plus activity
plans based on classic picture books and nursery rhymes.

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Letter
of the Week BoxPromote learning the letters of the alphabet
with this weekly activity from Teresa B.

Materials: Assortment
of magazines for cutting, 4-5 items starting with the letter of the week
and a shoe box.

Description: In advance
teachers cut pictures from magazines that start with the letter of the
week and glue them to the sides of a shoe box. Collect items that
start with the letter of the week and place them in your box.

During circle time
pass the box around and have each child pull one item out of the box and
identify it. Explain to the children that all these items begin with the
letter of the week. Each week that a new letter is introduced cut out pictures
and add to your letter box.

Comments: We do this
activity each time we introduces a new letter. As we continue this activity
we have a large box that we place the items from each week into and the
children revisit the box to review and play on their own. By the end of
the year we have several items in the large box for each of the letters
in the alphabet.

Graphing
ApplesKindergarten and pre-k children recognize
the sound of Aa as in apple and use tally marks and read a graph during
this activity plan by Jolyn.

Description: After a whole week of study
on the sound of Aa, I cut up 3 apples and let the students take a taste
test to see which is their favorite apple. They then take a cut out
of that color apple and place it on a big floor graph that can be
made from butcher paper. We then do tally marks on the board to make
sure the graph is correct.

Alphabet
GameYoung children recognize
the alphabet and have fun at the same time during this early childhood
activity by Chris.

Materials: Two teams
and alphabet cards.

Description: Have children
break into teams and start with the child in the first row of team 1. Show
a card and ask "What letter?" If that child can't answer go to next team
for 2 points so on and so forth. The team with the most points wins.
Prizes for winners may be large stickers, runner ups receive a smaller
sticker.

Comments: The kids
were so excited because it was competition but no hard feelings because
everyone came out a winner!

Slippery
WritingHelp children learn
to form the letters in their name with this activity by Melissa L.

Materials: Permanent
marker, vinyl place mat and fingerpaint.

Description: Teachers
write each child's name on a piece of vinyl place mat and encourage each
child to fingerpaint over the letters in his name. Cleanup only takes a
swipe with a wet sponge.

Word
Match-UpsHelp children put letters together to make
words during this activity by Melissa L.

Materials: Magnetic letters, magnetic board,
pictures with the word next to it.

Description: Teacher make up picture cards
with the word and picture next to each other. Place them on the magnetic
board and the children match the magnetic letters to the letters on the
picture card.

Fingerpaint
SlatesPreschool children can practice letters
or writing their name with this magic board by Pixie L.

Materials: Large ziploc bag, masking
tape, and fingerpaint.

Description: Place three tablespoons of fingerpaint
inside the ziploc bag. Flatten bag on the table to remove as much
air as possible. Close top securely. Tape the top of the bag
to make sure it will remain closed. Now, have the children use both
hands to flatten and spread fingerpaint out smoothly inside of the bag.
Children may then draw designs into the color by pressing with their fingers.

Comments: I call this a magic chalkboard.

Autograph
booksEncourage preschoolers to write their names
and recognize the names of their classmates with this activity by Nancy
D.

Description: Staple 4 pages to make an autograph
book for each child. Ask each child to write their name on the front
page and decorate it how they like. Ask them to go to all of their
friends and have each child write their name in each other's books.

Comments: The children loved this we did
it on their last day of preschool and they had a ball getting all of their
friends names.

Literacy:
Bushy Tail Finds A HomeMrs. C. suggests
this flannel board story for language development. The name of
the story is Bushy Tail Finds A Home.

Materials: Enough
flannel to make a squirrel, mouse, tree, owl, bear and a bee

Description:
The story Bushy Tail Finds A Home

One day Bushy Tail
was out playing in the forest, when it began to rain. Quickly
he scurried up the nearest tree and into a small hole, just the right size
for a little squirrel.

As soon as he was comfortable,
a little mouse scampered up the tree. "May I please join you?" he
asked politely. I won't take up much room. I promise."

"Well," said
Bushy Tail, "My home is awful little, and it's kind of crowded too, but
if there's room enough for me, there'll be room enough for you!"

The little mouse snuggled
in next to Bushy Tail. As soon as they were comfortable, a
little owl flew down and landed on a branch near Busy Tail. "May
I please join you?" he asked politely. "I won't take up much room.
I promise."

"Well," said Busy Tail,
"Our home is pretty crowded. With just he mouse and me. But
if there's room enough for two, there'll be room enough for three."

The little owl snuggled
in next to Bushy Tail and the little mouse. As soon as they were
comfortable, a bear cub hurried up the tree. "May I please join you?"
he asked politely. "I won't take up much room. I promise."

"Well," said Bushy
Tail, "Our home's already crowded, from the ceiling to the floor.
But if we all squeeze together, there should be room for four."

The bear cub snuggled
in next to Bushy Tail, the little mouse, and the little owl. As soon
as they were comfortable, a little bee buzzed by. Buzz. "May
I please join you?" he asked politely. "I won't take up much room.
I promise."

The animals were all
frightened. They began to shout, "NO, NO, Little Bee!
You must stay out! We're sorry it is raining, but there's just no
room for five. So Little Bee, leave us alone...And buzz back to your
hive!" Bzzzzzz, Bzzzzzz, Bzzzzzz!

Language:
Just SupposeKim H. suggests
this easy language activity to encourage preschool and kindergarten children
to think creatively.

Description: Ask the
children "Just Suppose" questions. For example:
"Just suppose you were the first person to meet a man from Mars and could
ask him only three question, what would they be?"

"Just suppose you could
be any person in the world for one hour, who would you be, what would you
do?"

A
Wiggle-With-Me StoryTrish H. offers this story saying,
"The objective of this fun activity is to wiggle your sillys out.
Also listening skills will be another developmental skill are used.
Before telling the story with the children, read the following dialogue
aloud, so they can learn the actions which correspond with the words.
Be sure to demonstrate the actions, then give the children the chance to
practice them before the story begins. And let the fun begin!"

Materials: Just alot of wiggly cottontail
bunnies, with pink noses, and brown eyes, and long tall ears who love to
hop.

Description: Whenever I say "Hopped," and
that will only be one time, hop away to wherever you wish. Go quietly
and be careful not to bump other bunnies as you hop. Now here is the story.
Listen carefully and do not forget your parts.

The StoryOnce upon a time there was a fluffy little
bunny who lived in a safe burrow deep under the roots of a great old tree
on the edge of the forest. The fluffy little bunny had a "pink nose",
"cottontail"," brown eyes" and "long, tall ears that could hear any sound
for miles around

One day when the bunny was bouncing through
the forest with his little "cottontail" bobbing along behind him, he came
upon a bubbling brook. He stopped and perked up his "long tall ears" to
listen for any sounds that might tell him of danger. He sniffed the
air with his "pink nose" for scent of an enemy. His soft, brown eyes"
looked in every direction. His "long, tall ears" told him nothing. His
"pink nose" told him nothing. His "soft brown eyes" say no sign of another
creature anywhere So the bunny bounced off through the forest with
his "Cottontail" bobbing behind him.

Suddenly, there was a snap of a twig.
The "cottontail" stopped bobbing. The bunny's "long tall ears" perked
up to listen for the sound of a stranger. He sniffed the air with his "pink
nose" for any scent of danger. His soft brown eyes looked in every direction.
Then, there it was! It moved quietly through the forest on the same
path where the bunny stood. It was coming closer and closer. The
bunny did not move. It began to feel frightened!

Who should come bouncing down the path....but
another little bunny just like him! She had a "pink nose, "a cottontail"
"soft brown eyes"," and long tall ears that could hear for miles around.
She stopped and looked at the bunny with her soft brown eyes. They smiled
at each other. Then they turned and they hopped off down the bunny trail
together.

Comments: Just do this with lots of
special little bunnies and have lots of "hare" raising fun .

Learning
LettersCourtney L. offers this activity
saying, "Help children become familiar with the letters of the alphabet
and begin to form basic words".

Materials: Index cards, markers

Description: Take 26 index cards (or more
if you prefer, but enough to duplicate each letter of the alphabet).
Cut the index cards in half--this will give you 2 copies of each letter--and
write theletters on each one. Children can
practice learning to identify the alphabet and then, once they have a good
grasp, they can use the duplicate letters to start to form basic words.
Such as cat, dog, box, etc.

Lotto
AlphabetHelp young children learn the letters of
the alphabet with this teacher made lotto by Kelli D.

Materials: Contruction paper, clear
contact paper, marker.

Description: I take a peice of contruction
paper and fold in in half 2 times so there are 4 folds. I take a
color for each child. You will need 2 of each color. I then pick 4 letters
for them to learn and put one letter on each fold. Like A,C,F,S.
Then on the same color on the other piece I put them in lower case. a,c,f,s.
I use the same letters for all the kids and then cover them with contact
paper.

One of the papers I cut so they can match
one piece to their board. I have them match the lower case
to the upper case. I take all the cut pieces and mix them up and then show
it to them and say "What letter is this?" Whoever knows yells it
out. then I say "What color is this card" and whoever has that color gets
the card.

We do this till all the cards are full then
we do it again. They learn their letters really fast with this game and
they want to play it all the time. As soon as they learn these letters
I do 4 new ones and then once a week we do the old ones so they don't forget
them.

Textured
Letters and NumbersDebbie B. offers this sensory experience
for learning the letters of the alphabet.

Materials:3"x5" index cards, markers, glue, bird grit.

Description: Teachers trace letters and numbers
on the index cards. Make the symbols about1/2" wide. Next, spread glue
on the letters and numbers and sprinke with bird grit (sold in pet
stores). Let the cards dry then put the finished product in the writing
center. Encourage children to trace the symbols with thier fingers.

Comments: You can make textured letters
and numbers out of a variety of materials. Try cutting them out of sand
paper, fake fur, or corduroy for example. Tracing these with thier fingers
several times will help the children be able to write them easier.

Class
Book: "Animal Stampede" This early childhood literacy activity for
kindergarten thru second grade children is offered by Dawn W.

Materials: Paper, crayons, alphabet stamps
and ink pad.

Description: On a page for each child
I type My animal is a _________. Then the child stamps that animals
name with the stamp such as b e a r. Then that child draws
a picture of their animal. We make the pictures into a class book.

Word
FamiliesDawn W. offers this activity to help
kindergarten children learn word families.

Materials: Paper and crayons.

Description: Each child thinks of a
word of the word family we are doing at that time as "AN" they might say
"man". They write it on their paper and then draw a picture of it.
We then make a class book.

Language
and Literacy ActivityTammy B.offers this lesson plan saying,
" Children will listen and read along with a story about a community helper.
They will also have the opportunity to express themselves by asking questions
and answering questions while the story is being read to them as well as
at the end of the story. The children will also draw or write their thoughts
about the story that was read to them.

Materials: Book--Barney and BJ---Go
To The Zoo
Drawing paper
Crayons/MarkersDescription:1) Get the children to cleanup--Clean up
song2) Explain they we are going to hear a story
about the zoo3) Read the story-- Ask question during
the story4) Let the children have their time
to ask questions.5) Tell the children that we are going to
pretend we are zookeepers and let them draw a picture of their favorite
animal and tell why they would want to care for that animal at the zoo.6) Put all the pictures together in a book
and call it "Our Zoo Book".

Comments: My kids really liked this activity.

Literacy:
BearsMissydee shares this literacy activity
saying, " Children will be able to retell the story of 'I'm Going On A
Bear Hunt' using a story bear prop.

Materials:A large paper bear cut out, a small, 2"
piece of green fringed paper for the grass, a small piece of blue crepe
paper for the river, brown paint, three small green triangle shapes
for the forest, small pieces of a white doily for the snowstorm, and either
a bear stamper or brown pom-poms and wiggly eyes for a bear shape at the
end of the story.

Description:First read the story together, "We're
Going On A Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen. Then make a story
bear to bring home and retell the story. Fun!!

Comments: For snack time, we have a teddy
bear picnic; we eat beary-good foods and everyone brings a bear from home
to share. Using the bears, we graph, sort, count, group, etc.

Creative
Dramatics: Nursery RhymesMissydee suggests this activity saying,
" Children will act out different nursery rhymes and fairy tales; example
shown is The Three Little Pigs."

Materials:Three pig noses and tails, a bucket of straw,
sticks, and some bricks, and anything else depending on the
rhyme! glue, small twigs, straw, pre-drawn wolves and pigs, construction
paper.

Description:After reading The Three Little Pigs, we
have the children act out the story using the props. They really
get into it! Then we do a table activity using straw, 2-4" twigs
gathered from the outside. We use little red rectangles that can
be used as bricks to be glued on a piece of construction paper in the shape
of a house, pre drawn pigs and wolves.

The children glue on the materials to make
a scene from the story. They then can bring this home to retell the
story to family members.

Comments: We have also made pig faces using
rice cakes, cheese whiz, small M & Ms, and pink frosting.

Book
HospitalLeslie shares this idea that helps
young children learn to care for their books.

Materials: A cardboard box filled with items
that will mend books: Tape, glue, a sponge dampened with a little
watered down alcohol to wipe smudges off of covers ( kept in a plastic
butter tub).

When books become torn or a little dog-eared
they have to go to the "hospital" to get better. This helps
children learn to take care of the classroom books.

Gayle's Hint:
Ask your local librarian about the special tape usedto mend books. You may be able to purchase
some and special covers too!

Alphabet
BooksSuzan G. uses this method to help
young children learn the alphabet.

Materials: Pre made books, crafts for each
letter.

Description: Make a simple book for each
child and label it "My Alphabet Book" . Take two piece of card stock
for front cover and back page. Then obtain 26 sheets of white copy paper.
Bind all the pages to gather to represent a book. Each week talk
about a different letter in the alphabet. At the end of each week
create an art project for each letter.

For example, the letter A page you could
cut real apples in half and let the children dip them into paint and press
them onto the letter A page.

The letter B page you could let children
glue beans in the shape of the letter B. The letter C could be cotton
balls in shape of a C. And so on and so on. Use your imagination
for each letter.

Gayle's Hint:
Take a peek at "Making the Alphabet", a few activities below.

Literacy
Activity: "Bloodhound Ben"Julisa N. introduces new vocabulary
(bloodhound) and helps children develop listening and conversation skills
with this activity.

Description:Cut up yellow rope and twist a red garland
on the top of the ropeto make dog tails for the children.
Read the story to the children and have them wag the dog tails with you
when you read the "wag the tail" parts. As you read get the children
involved by asking a lot of questions.

Literacy Activity:There
Was An Old Women Who Swallowed A FlySuzan G. says, "Recreate this wonderful
story and hear the giggles".

Description:Find a medium size box and cut the middle
out. Then tape a piece of plastic over the hole (the kind you can
buy in the grocery store in the school section). People keep book
reports in them to protect the sheets of paper) Find a clip art picture
of an old women and enlarge her to fit the size of the box. Put her
head at the top of the box and her feet at the bottom of the box. The plastic
hole represents her stomach.

Then copy pictures of the fly, horse, cow,
cat, dog, spider, etc. Tell the story to the children and as you approach
each animal that was swallowed let the children drop it into the box. They
will be able to see that item through the plastic opening.

Comments: Try finding plastic animals
or stuffed animals at yard sales that could also be put into the women's
stomach. Or add different animals for a twist in the story.

Literacy
Activity: "Stone Soup"Children use listening skills, sequencing
skills, math, reading and cooking skills in this activity from Criss,
who
uses it for St. Patrick's Day.

Materials: The story "Stone Soup", a clean
stone, raw vegetables, beef broth, safety in the kitchen.

Description: Read the story and then let
the children clean, peal and cut the rawvegetables for an adult to put into the
hot water.

Comments: The kids were amazed at how the
stone was used to make soup.

Making
The Letters of the AlphabetNichole P. encourages young children
to use letter recognition skills with this creative early childhood series
of activities.

Materials: Many different kinds of items.

Description: Make the letter and add the
following to them.

Aa-apple prints, glue on apple
cut-outs, or arrows. Bb-glue on buttons or balloons. Cc-glue on cotton balls or color with
crayons. Dd-glue on dots for "dooty d's, or
glue on dirt or diamond shapes. Ee-glue on egg shells or elastic. Ff-glue on feathers or felt. Gg-glue on green glitter or grass. Hh-glue on hearts or hay (or paint
with honey) Ii-paint with colored ice cubes, or
use ink to make insects
(fingerprints,draw on wings,etc). Jj-use jewels to make "jazzy jewel
j's" (you
can add a string to make a necklace-"jewelry"). Kk-glue on popcorn kernals. Ll-glue on leaves,or punch holes around
the edge for lacing. Use yellow paper
and yellow yarn for "lemon laced l's". Mm-glue on macaroni or magizine pieces. Nn-glue on nuts, napkins or newspaper. Oo-glue on oatmeal or octagon shapes. Pp-purple potato prints. Qq-glue on q-tips or make quarter
rubbings. Rr-glue on ribbons or raisins. Ss-use self sticking stars, glue on
seeds or string. Tt-glue on toothpicks, tissues,triangles,
or cover with tape. Uu-glue on umbrella shapes or stampers. Vv-glue on velvet or velcro. Ww-glue on wallpaper pieces, wood
or waxed paper. Xx-have children glue small rectangular
pieces of
paper together to make an x. Yy-glue on yellow yarn or egg yolk
noodles. Zz-glue on zippers or draw zigzags.

Comments: The children get real excited
to see each new letter activity.

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